392 ■ III: HISTORICAL AND THEORETICAL FOUNDATIONS FOR ROLE DELINEATION
becomes even more essential for these new graduates as faculty. Their levels of under-
standing and competence in research vary considerably, depending on the school from
which they graduated. Mentoring in research involves establishing a strong relation-
ship, understanding the knowledge base of the participants, and developing a plan to
move forward.
Senior faculty can most easily assume the mentoring role, provided they are will-
ing, receptive to the idea and, as the authors point out, have sufficient support within
the school of nursing to fulfill their responsibilities. Mentoring can take many forms, not
just for coursework and projects, but also in assisting the DNP student to understand
the mentor role (as future mentors), what being a faculty member or administrator in
advanced practice is all about, as well as how to negotiate difficult agreements, resolve
conflicts, and reach consensus in meetings. To achieve this, mentors may ask students
and junior faculty to join them on publications, do research, attend meetings, present
papers, and participate in most any scholarly endeavor. Providing a student with the
opportunity to be the first author on a publication can foster self- esteem, while experi-
encing the process of getting a manuscript submitted, accepted, and published. The ulti-
mate goal in mentoring for many students is developing a long- range plan that will lead
to Fellowship in the American Academy of Nursing. This needs to start early and may
take years to fulfill, but can be a highly rewarding attainment in the end. This particular
mentoring role may extend to both students and faculty in other schools of nursing, and
even internationally.
The mentor– mentee relationship for international students becomes considerably
more complex. Not only is the DNP student adjusting to a new doctoral program, but
as well may be adjusting to a new culture and strange environment. This needs interac-
tions with colleagues and interpersonal communication and commitment. It is predict-
able that international students will have even more challenges than native students as
they progress through their programs.
Being a mentor is not as simple as forming a relationship, and the authors of this
chapter clearly emphasize that. It takes interest, commitment, willingness to be availa-
ble, an inclusive attitude, and the ability to be able to share rather than be possessive and
protective of one’s own domain. One of the most important mentor roles that I have had,
which both students and other faculty appreciated, is including them on publications.
This starts with providing an overview of the process, doing literature searches, review-
ing the various publishing formats and online submissions, determining the different
types of publications that one can submit, developing the content, and then managing
the comments of the reviewers. Inexperienced faculty can be devastated by reviewer
comments, especially when they feel they have “produced a masterpiece,” whether in
fact they have or have not. Through mentoring, students can have senior faculty input
on their publications before they are ever submitted for review. This, in turn, will provide
the student with an opportunity to learn how to mentor early in the process.
The American Association of Colleges of Nursing’s (AACN, 2006) essentials docu-
ment clearly differentiates between research- focused doctoral programs and DNP pro-
grams during which students engage in advanced practice nursing and gain the ability
to provide leadership for evidence- based practice. This difference needs to be clearly
known by DNP students before they enter the program. Some even decide to pursue
both routes simultaneously or in sequence, understanding that both degrees can help
to advance the creation and translation of knowledge into practice (Edwardson, 2010).
Students may initially be uninformed on both the purpose and the process for acquiring
the degree. Having a temporary mentor assigned before admission can facilitate this
process and help to reduce stress once the student is enrolled— and we must recognize
that any doctoral program is stressful!